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Source: https://www.nola.com/news/healthcare...55a0e5f4c.html
First cases of drug-resistant fungus found at Louisiana hospital
"Superbug" can cause infections in bloodstream, wounds, and kill 1 in 3 immunocompromised patients
BY EMILY WOODRUFF | Staff writer Jan 18, 2022 - 5:52 pm
Two patients at University Medical Center in New Orleans have been diagnosed with a rare, drug-resistant fungus called Candida auris, hospital officials said Tuesday, marking Louisiana’s first known cases of the pathogen.
The fungus, a type of yeast, is considered a global emerging threat by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. C. auris can cause infections in the bloodstream or in wounds, and is typically spread in health care settings. It is sometimes called a “superbug” because it is resistant to common antifungal drugs.
University Medical Center, which is operated by LCMC Health, notified the public of the cases “out of an abundance of caution,” said Dr. Nirav Patel, chief medical officer. While this is the first time the hospital has found C. auris, it's likely gone undetected in the state until now, Patel said.
"This bug could have been here in Louisiana for quite some time," said Patel, ticking off recent outbreaks in Florida and Texas. "These cases have been happening in the continental United States in large numbers." ...
First cases of drug-resistant fungus found at Louisiana hospital
"Superbug" can cause infections in bloodstream, wounds, and kill 1 in 3 immunocompromised patients
BY EMILY WOODRUFF | Staff writer Jan 18, 2022 - 5:52 pm
Two patients at University Medical Center in New Orleans have been diagnosed with a rare, drug-resistant fungus called Candida auris, hospital officials said Tuesday, marking Louisiana’s first known cases of the pathogen.
The fungus, a type of yeast, is considered a global emerging threat by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. C. auris can cause infections in the bloodstream or in wounds, and is typically spread in health care settings. It is sometimes called a “superbug” because it is resistant to common antifungal drugs.
University Medical Center, which is operated by LCMC Health, notified the public of the cases “out of an abundance of caution,” said Dr. Nirav Patel, chief medical officer. While this is the first time the hospital has found C. auris, it's likely gone undetected in the state until now, Patel said.
"This bug could have been here in Louisiana for quite some time," said Patel, ticking off recent outbreaks in Florida and Texas. "These cases have been happening in the continental United States in large numbers." ...
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